Apparatus for winding strand material



United States Patent [72] Inventor John Kallenborn 3,109,602 1 1/1963 Smith 242/18(G) Murrysville, Pa. 3,169,714 2/1965 Schippers 242/18(G) [21] Appl. No. 699,816 3,195,821 7/1965 Woosey et a1.. 242/18(G) [22] Filed Jan. 23,1968 3,254,850 6/1966 Martin et a1. 242/18(G) [45] Patented Dec. 15, 1970 FOREIGN PATENTS [73] Assgnee lndmmes' 1,381,471 11/1964 France 242/18(G) a corporation of Pennsylvania Primary Examiner-Stanley N. Gilreath Attorney-Chisholm and Spencer [54} APPARATUS FOR WINDING STRAND MATERIAL 1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figs. [52] US. Cl 242/18, ABSTRACT: Strand winding apparatus characterized by a 242/46-5 rotatable collet adapted to receive a sleeve upon which the [51] Int. Cl. B65h 54/00 strand is wound, a variable Speed motor and a shaft common [50] Field oiSearch 242/18, to the motor and collet The shaft is journany Supported by a 18G, 18CS, 46-2, 6- 46-41465, pair of spaced antifriction bearing means mounted on a sup- 56 R f C'ed port intermediate the motor and co11et. The ends of the shaft l e erences I are cantilevered beyond each of the bearing means. One of the UNITED STATES PATENTS extended ends of the shaft is provided with an armature, and 2,140,555 12/1938 Satterlee 242/18(CS) the other end is provided with means for mounting the collet 3,000,585 9/ 1961 Sokal .1 242/18(G)UX for rotation with the shaft.

A 60A 56A, so 80 M 52 5 PATENTEU DEB] 51970 $547,362 SHEET10F3 FIG. 3

INVENTOR JOHN KALLENBO/e/V BY :4 CM.

RNEYS PATENTED 0521 5:970

SHEET 2 OF 3 INVENTOR J 0HN KALLENEORJV Ommq m ORNEYS PATENTED DEC] 5 I970 SHEET 3 OF 3 F INVENTOR i Joy/v mus/mom ATTORNEY} APPARATUS FOR WINDING STRAND MATERIAL I BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to apparatus for attenuating and winding strand form of filaments of heat softenable material and has particular relation to apparatus for attenuating, forming and winding glass fiber strand material.

In the past it has been conventional to collect fiberglass strand material on forming tubes about 4 to 8 inches in diameter and 6 to 12 inches in length. The formingtubes have conventionally been supported on a collect mount on a spindle supported in bearings disposed some distance from the wind ing operation. The portion of the spindle supporting the collet has nonnally been extended in cantilevered fashion some distance outward from the bearing supports.

In certain instances the spindle shaft has been driven by a motor by means of a belt drive or other mechanical coupling. Although satisfactory for many operations, the slippage occuring in the coupling is undesirable in a fiberglass forming operation where the speed of the spindle is gradually reduced as a package of strand is formed to provide a substantially constant attenuating and winding force.

To avoid this slippage problem, other winding apparatus has employed a common shaft for the motor and'collet. In these instances the shaft has normally been joumally supported by the motor bearings and the portion supporting the collet projected in cantilevered fashion a distance away from the bearing supports. Although satisfactory for winding strand or forming tubes having a diameter of about 8 inches, such an arrangement leaves much to be desired when winding strand on forming tubes of larger diameters. I

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with this invention, strand winding apparatus is constructed such that the collet on which a forming tube and thus a package is received is directly driven by a motor. A shaft is supported by spaced, enclosed bearings intermediate its ends, such that its ends are cantilevered beyond the bearings. The arrangement and spacing of the bearing support of the shaft and their relation to the length of shaft are such that there is less whip and less deflection of the shaft as compared with prior art direct drive winders.

One cantilevered end of the shaft receives the motor armature and a motoi field construction is supported in circumferential relation about the armature, such that the motor of the assembly is essentially bearing-free. The other cantilevered end of the shaft receives the winding collet on which the forming tube is received and on which strand is collected. With this arrangement the motor stator and its housing can be removed and replaced when necessary, rapidly and without mechanical uncoupling of any bearings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is an elevational view of the general arrangement for forming and winding fiberglass strand;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a winder usable in the arrangement of FIG. 1 and built according to this invention;

FIG. 3 is an end view as seen from the right of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the shaft, motor and collet assembly according to the invention.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1 of the drawing, there is shown a glass melting chamber 10 or forehearth thereof containing a supply of molten glass 12 and having an electrically heated feeder or bushing 14 attached to the bottom of the container. The bushing 14 is troughlike in shape and is provided with a series of orifices 16, which orifices are defined by tips 18 suspended from the bottom portion of the bushing. The bushing is generally composed of analloy containing about 90 percent platinum and I0 percent rhodium and is heated by passing an electric current through it, the current be 7 l p k source. The current is received the bushlngfrotnjthesource by means of terminals or lu s 20 attached to jo'p the bushing along the verticalen tained therein. The molten glass fiow sfthrough e tips 18 and forms small cones 22 suspended fromthetips. The tips are aligned in rows such that the number of tipsmaybe about 200 to400ormore. y (wi l M I Glass filaments or fibers 24 are pulled-fr a very high rate of speed, as for example onthe order of 5 ,000 to 20,000 feet per minute and are wound on a rapidly rotating forming tube 26 mounted on arotating collet. 28 of a winder 30, the details of which will be described, The glass fibers 24 are grouped into a strand 32 as theypass overa gathering guide 34 prior to being wound on the forming ,tube 26;

Usually an aqueous size containinga liquid binder and a lubricant, such as a combination of starchand a vegetable oil, is applied to the individual fibers Zflof the strand-32 as they pass over an applicator '36 mounted just above the guide 34. The size transfer surface in the applicator 36 may be a rotating roller 38 or a moving belt having a film of the size applied to it. The fibers 24 pass over the roller or belt 'at some'tangential location for momentary contact with the sizing solution to transfer the solution from the applicator to the fibers. An example of a suitable size applicator is showri in US? Pat. No. 2,873,718. I

As the strand is wound on' traversing motion by means of a'spiralwisetraverse 40, such as shown in US. Pat. No. 2,391,870QThe strand-isdistributed' described. With each axial movement of'the forming tube 26 with respect to the cam 40, a separate layer is wound on the forming tube, so that the forming tube has a plurality of layers of strand wound in superposed relation on the forming tube 26. Each succeeding layer may be substantially the same length as the preceding layer or may be of shorter length than the preceding layer. In the latter case, the end of each succeeding layer terminates short of the endof each preceding layer. The latter wind may be accomplished by shortening successive strokes of the forming tube, as is known in the prior art.

To stop and start the winder 30 and the traverse, a footoperated switch 42 is provided, as shown.

The specific winder, which forms a part of this invention, is specifically illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 to which attention is now directed.

The winder 30 includes a variable-speed motor 50 including a field winding 52 and an armature 54 on a shaft 56 housed in a multiple piece housing 58.

The shaft 56 is rotatably journalled in spaced front and rear bearings 60A and 60B supported in one part of the housing A forward of the field winding 52 and armature 54, i.e., forward of the motor assembly of field and armature, such that the shaft portion on which the armature 54 is supported is cantilevered from the bearings 60A and 608. Another portion 588 of the housing 58 covers the windings and is connected to the portion 58A by clamps 62 spaced around the housing. Each clamp includes a dog 64 pivoted to the housing part 58A and having a leg received in a recess in housing part 588 and a bolt 66 threadably received in housing part 588 and passing through the dog 64. The shaft housing is composed of housing elements 58 and 58A which are shown partly in dotted and partly in solid lines in FIG. 2 of the drawing. The motor housing 58B is clamped directly to the shaft housing composed of housing elements 58 and 58A, which, in turn, is supported by the bearing means 60A and 608 located in the shaft housing. The shaft housing composed of housing elements 58 and 58A is mounted on the support 82, as is shown in FIG. 2. Because of the described arrangement, i.e., the shaft and housing conhe cones 22 at The shaft 56 extends beyond the front bearing 60A and has attached to this cantilevered portion the collet 28 which received thereon the forming tube 26, before described.

The collet 28 is constructed of spaced, front and rear collet rings 68A and 68B, jointed by a body 70 received on the front cantilevered shaft portion. Suitable means are provided for locking the collet 28 to the shaft 56. Each of the collet rings 68A and 68B is provided with a projecting portion 72 which retains segmented collet fingers 74.

Generally each finger has sides which include an angle of approximately 30 so that there are usually 12 fingers for each collet. These rings are loosely held by the portions 72, so that they can move radially under the influence of centrifugal force. The outer surfaces of the fingers receive the forming package 26, generally a paper or plastic tube. Movement of the fingers 74 radially outwardly insures retention of the forming'tube on the collet; movement radially inwardly permits easy removal of the forming tube. To eliminate movement of the fingers 74 in directions other than radially, a plurality of guide blades 76, each received in a slot 78 in a finger 74, are provided.. The guide blades are retained with the collet body 70 by retaining rings 80.

The motor collet assembly just described is received in a support carriage 82 and is bolted therein as indicated in FIG. 2. The carriage 82 is slidably mounted, so as to be movable along spaced rails 84 mounted on a base 86. The carriage 82 has a bifurcated member 88 which receives the piston rod 90 of an air cylinder 92 mounted on the base 86. A bolt holds the assembly'together. By energization of the air cylinder by suitable valves (not shown) in the desired sequence, the carriage and thus the motor collet assembly is moved horizontally between the positions shown in solid lines and broken lines, H0. 2.

A side plate is also connected to the base 86 and the drive for the traversing cam 40 is mounted thereon. The cam 40 is mounted on a cam shaft 96 journalled in spaced bearings 98 supported by plates 100 which also support a motor plate 102 upon which a cam motor 104 is mounted.

Drive to the shaft 96 is provided by a pulley 106 thereon and motor pulley"l08 joined by a pulley belt 110. The motor may be mounted for adjustment in any manner known in the art.

The operation of the arrangement for drawing and collecting or winding fibers is similar to other winding arrangements. A forming. tube is placed on the collet, the fibers are pulled by hand and wrapped around thetube upon start oftrotation; when a determinedquantity offiber strand is collected as a forming package, the motor is deenergized, the collet stops rotating and the package is removedThe sequence is thereupon repeated.

Iclaim: 1. Apparatus for winding strand comprising in combination:

, a support; v

a shaft housing mounted on the support; bearing means in the shaft housing;

a shafthaving its central portion rotatably supported on said bearing means and having cantilevered end portions extending from said shaft housingj a collet affixed to one extenddend portion of the shaft for rotation therewith; a motor armature affixed to the other extended end portion of the shaft; a field winding surrounding the motor armature. and a motor housing supporting the field winding, said motor housing b'eing clamp e'd'directly to the shaft housing so as to permit removal of the field winding over the cantilevered end of the shaft containingthe motor armature without disturbin the shaft and said hearings in the shaft housing, said mo or composed of the said armature and field winding being free of bearings. 

